Street-lamp hanger



(No Model.)

H. P. HILL. STREET LAMP HANGER.

Patented Nov. 3,

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

I'IALLY P. HILL, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGE P. PHILLIPS, OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA.

STREET-LAM P HANGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 570,801, dated November 3, 1896.

Application filed December 6,1895. Serial No. 571,282. (No model.)

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HALLY P. HILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at W'ashington, in the District of Columbia. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street-Lamp Hangers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in street-lamp hangers, and has for its objects to provide a device whereby the lamp will be brought to the side of the street when it is necessary to lower it instead of having it descend vertically; to provide a device which will quickly and securelyretain the lamp in its elevated position and promptly release it when required, using the same means both to secure and to release it, and, further, to provide a hanger so housed and protected against the elements as to insure at all times a proper action of the parts and obviate the necessity of employing means to free them from obstructions, such as dirt, sleet, or ice, which greatly interfere with the usefulness of such devices.

lVith these and other objects and advantages in view my invention consists of certain new and novel features of construction described in the following specification, particularly pointed out in the hereto-annexed claims, and fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my improved hanger device supported between two uprights and securely locked in its elevated position. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pulley, and Fig. 3 is aperspective of the same.

Like numerals of reference designate like parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

1 1 represent two supporting-poles situated one on each side of a thoroughfare. Extending from pole to pole and connected to the same near their upper ends is a main supporting and guiding cable 2, carrying my improved device or hanger 3. To one of the poles and directly above the point of attachment thereto of the supporting-cable is swiveled a pulley division.

4, over which passes an operating rope or cable 5. Between the hanger 3 and the opposite pole is placed a pulley 6, around which passes the operating-rope 5 to a perforation in an ear 7, formed integral with the side of the hanger, where it is secured. This pulley 6 is best secured in place by dividing the guide-cable 2 and inserting said pulleyin the This insures a correct alinement of the pulley at all times.

The operating-rope 5 is of suflicient length for the end to fall within easy reach of a supply-wagon.

The hanger 3 is designed to travel back and forth on the supporting-cable 2, and in furtherance of this object is supplied with pulleys 8, situated in the upper portion of the housing and running on said cable 2.

The preferred shape of the housing for the hanger mechanism is of fiat box-like design having a semicircular lower side. This housing is completely closed on all sides against the elements, with openings 9 and 10 for the passage therethrough of the cable 2 and openings 11 and 12 for a purpose hereinafter disclosed. I

Somewhat below the pulleys 8 and to one side of a vertical plane passing through the center of the housing is located a larger pulley 13, over which passes the lamp-suspending cable 14, which finds entrance through the opening 11. This cable 14 is passed through a sleeve 15, having an annular flange or enlargement 16 and a flared bottom 17. The end of the cable 14 is knotted or otherwise provided with means to prevent its accidental withdrawal, at the same time permitting its release, should it be so desired.

The flared bottom 17 is provided with boltholes, through which pass bolts 18, firmly securing in place a cross-head 19, supporting the lamp 20, and provided on its ends with insulators for the usual electrical conductors 21 and 22.

On each opposite side wall of the housing and extending from the bottom thereof in an angular or slanting direction to a point about on a line with the lower edge of the pulley 13, but to the other side of the central vertical plane, is an integral track or guideway V 23. These guides are spaced apart sufficiently to permit of the passage therethrough of the sleeve 15, but not of the head 16. The object of this spacing will be obvious from further description.

To one side of the guides, opposite that of the pulley 13 and pivoted near the curved bottom of the housing, is a gravity-pawl 24:, having a bifurcated or forked end 25. The size of the fork or bifurcation is such as not to permit the passage therethrough of the head 16, but to readily receive the sleeve 15 and allow the same freedom of movement in the desired direction. The upward movement of the pawl 24 is limited by a stop-pin 26, thus preventing its movement beyond a perpendicular, and it is limited in its descent by the edge of the opening 12, which opening, it is readily observed, is designed to permit the entrance and exit of the sleeve 15 and head 16.

This completes the construction of my improved lamp-hanger, and the operation of the same is as follows: IVhen it is desired to lower the lamp to rearrange the carbons, the rope 5 is pulled downward until the head 16 of the sleeve 15 passes beyond the highest point of the guideways 23, when by action of the tension 011 the rope and by gravity it is released from the restraint and assumes a vertical position on the opposite side of the guideways, the sleeve 15 readily passing by reason of its comparative size through the interval between the ways. The downward pull on the cable 5 is now discontinued and the lamp is allowed, by reason of its own weight, to descend to the side of the thoroughfare, its course and the position it finally assumes being indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. After the lamp has been properly prepared the rope or cable 5 is again drawn downward until the lamp assumes an elevated position and the head 16 is in contact with the under side of the bifurcated pawl 2i, when it is further drawn downward until the head andpawl pass through the several stages indicated in Fig. 2. The head finallycauses the pawl to assumeits most elevated position, when it is an easy matter for the head to pass sufficiently to allow the pawl to drop into engagement with the sleeve 15, allowing the head to drop back upon the pawl when the rope is slackened. The lamp descends and, the head being this time on the upper side of the fork or bifurcation, it is securely locked or retained in the elevated position shown in Fig. 1.

Amost important advantage not to be lost sight of in my construction of hanger and the arrangement of the various parts is the fact that when locked in the position above referred to accidental or intended rupture of the manipulating-cable 5 or the suspending-- cable 14 will not operate to precipitate the lamp to the street below. This will appear obvious upon examination of the drawings, where it is clearly seen there is no weight or strain on the aforesaid cables, such being borne entirely by the bifurcated pawl 24.

I do not desire to confine myself to the precise details of construction herein shown and described, but reserve to myself the right and privilege to alter the same without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with opposite supports, the wire or cable suspended therebetween, the traveling hanger, the pulley secured to said wire at one side of the hanger, the pulley connected with the support at the opposite side of the hanger, the rope secured to the hanger and passing over said pulleys, the pulley connected with the hanger, the rope secured to said support and passing over said pulley, the inclined tracks, and the pawl pivoted to said hanger, of the lamp secured to said rope the weight of which bears such a relation to that of the hanger that it is adapted to move the hanger to the side of the thoroughfare when the lamp is released, and the sleeve embracing said rope and provided with a head, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the traveling hanger, the pulley connected therewith, the rope secured to one of the supports and passing around said pulley, the inclined tracks, and the bifurcated pawl, embracing said rope, of the lamp connected with said rope the weight of which bears such a relation to that of the hanger that it is adapted to move the hanger to the side of the thoroughfare when the lamp is released, the sleeve through which said rope passes and the head thereof, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the traveling hanger, of the pulley connected therewith, a. lamp-rope provided with an enlargement, a bifurcated pawl, embracing said rope, and the inclined tracks adapted to direct the enlargement upon said lamp-rope away from the pawl, substantially as specified.-

l. The combination with a lamp-hanger, of the pulley connected therewith, the lamp-rope passing over said pulley and provided with an enlargement, a bifurcated pawl pivotally connected with said hanger and embracing said rope, and the inclined tracks adapted to direct the enlargement upon said lamp-rope away from the pawl, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

I-IALLY P. HILL. \Vitnesses:

TENNEY Ross, ALLEN E. HILL. 

